A case against piracy

No matter how much we miss our childhood one reason why all children look forward to growing up is because they presume that in the adult world everyone is free to do what they like. this lure for freedom attracts even the most cared for and pampered child. so what happens when we finally grow up and realise that the freedom for which we undervalued the best part of our lives is getting more and more elusive? we feel frustrated and angry and clamped down and we want to break out...because when we are children we at least have the comfort of knowing that those restricting our freedom know better. but as grown ups when we are told by people who we voted into power that we can no more express, share, bond and communicate with our own free will, then we no longer feel cared for. we feel violated, compromised and robbed of the core reward that growing up was supposed to bring. For expressing a desire to censor internet or any other audio visual content the government must be dealt with in exactly the same manner as those who try to violate the rules of a 'free' market economy. That is use the power of numbers to monopolize the thought that free individuals in a free society have also toiled hard to get the freedom of expression they are laying claims to. it has come after years of accumulating an understanding of the functioning of the world and no one, least of all the state, outside the individual has a right to judge the correctness of. 

Obituary for Death of Remembrance

There are many things that have been written about Steve Jobs. But this post is not about Jobs. This is about how today our capacity to mourn has also gone into the fast food and weekend blockbuster category. So three days following Steve's death there will be an overkill of stories about him...from what his core philosophies were to the turtle neck he wore etc. And then next week the death of the greatest icon we have known will seem as ancient as the tale of Cleopatra's love for Roman generals. So the fuss about leaving a mark in people's minds etc seems a bit of an outdated concept now. Because today our mind space is wiped clean every week. we need new stories to feed on, new icons to follow,new deaths to mourn. The icons we once followed and have now departed can only at best occupy an extensive write up on wikipedia. So the thing that struck me about Steve's death is that today not only is life on a fast freeway lane but so is death and memory. As we are moving towards higher resolutions and greater picture clarity than ever what is going out of focus are events that haven't happened TODAY. Because yesterday like the Trojan war is history. Makes one wonder what mark are we taking about leaving and for whom?

the best city

In yesterday's TOI, I read a statistician's analysis of world's cities and the ranking they enjoy as per the standard of living . I was obviously deeply saddened with the knowledge that Mumbai is among the worst and Melbourne- where a part of my family now lives- the best. I couldnt help thinking why me? why could i have not exchanged places with that part of my family that lives in the best part of the world? but this what i felt in the morning.
In the evening as i navigated through the puddles and potholes and reached my vegetable vendor i came across an elderly woman from high society with a walking stick trying to find a place to park herself while she waited for the auto in the rains. my veg vendor immediately sprung to his feet and offered the woman a chair. another fruit vendor came running and offered her a cup of tea. soon the mundane surroundings turned into a dream sequence where the old woman was playing the lead role with everyone around indulging her, providing whatever they could. i couldnt help but be swamped away by all the bonhomie and i offered hailing an auto for aunty...this, i must confess, was in part motivated by the need to also share that bond that i suddenly saw develop between a set of anonymous people. A bond that i would have envied had i not joined it. Aunty in turn was so overwhelmed with all the spontaneous attention that she got that she held my hand with her trembling grasp and said...beta...everybody is so nice and kind. isnt this a wonderful world?
And that moment i said to myself that i would never trade my place for any amount of lifestyle comforts that maybe Melbourne could offer me. Because when I grow old in Melbourne, i might have a luxurious old age home. But what i wont have is a steaming cup of coffee, a rickety plastic chair under a collapsing parapet and the pleasure of spontaneous companionship with strangers.
Maybe S&P (The agency that assigns 'stars' to world cities) should realise that the main thing is not how many roads a country has. But rather who walks on those roads and with whom?

quote from benjamin button

"For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

waking up

Ever had that feeling in the morning that to wake up from that 'oh-its-too-long-to-be-a-dream' nightmare all we need to do is simply open our eyes? And the whole labyrinth in which we were hopelessly trapped since eternity (or so it feels in most nightmares) just disappears within a fraction of a second...i have realised that the same logic applies to the real world as well. We are so afraid to put a brake to the inertia of a less than ordinary life that we continue extending our nightmare. when all that we need to do is take that one step of courage and sparkle up an otherwise dull and meaningless existense. So may be the main thing is to not get seduced by routine and have the courage to explore. the nightmare may start again but atleast we would know that we also experienced what living a dream is about...